Movers Advice

5 Must Have Items For Loading a POD or Truck

Tips from a professional Seattle mover

Loading up a POD or Truck successfully requires diligent work and careful planning. Your belongings could be traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles, and you want to make sure your furniture and possessions make it there in one piece. Every bump in the road or sudden stop can lead to the load shifting and your items getting damaged. Having skilled movers to load your truck is the key ingredient, but that doesn't mean that having the necessary moving supplies is any less important. Here are my top 5 items that I need when I'm loading up a POD, moving truck, or freight container for transport.

Moving Blankets

By far, this is the most import item that you need when loading up a truck or POD. Pay attention to the dimensions of the moving blankets that you buy. You'll need two moving blankets for larger furniture, and sometimes more. Items that commonly need 2 or move moving blankets are couches, large dressers, oversized chairs, buffets, credenzas, and China hutches.

Additionally, keep in mind that the only thing keep your items safe from scratches are the moving blankets - so anything that you want to keep scratch free, needs the protection a moving blanket provides. This includes floor lamps, night stands, chairs, and artwork.

Always buy more than enough moving blankets, and try to get them from a local retailer so that you can return the blankets that you don't use and get a full refund. Alternately, if you ordered them online you can usually sell them on Offerup. When I say more than enough, it depends on the size of your move. Generally having a dozen more moving blankets on hand than you think is necessary is a good policy.

The last thing you want is for work to stop while you go buy more moving blankets for your movers, or for your items to get damaged while in transit. Buy more than enough and you'll set yourself and your movers up for success.

I recommend two different types of moving blankets for your move in order to be most cost effective. One is thicker and best for your most valuable furniture, and the other is cheaper, less durable, but still decent protection for less valuable items. Please note that they also are different sizes. See links below:

Thick, professional grade moving blanket: https://amzn.to/44Y2ILP

Textile moving blankets for less fragile items: https://amzn.to/47qmu4m

Shrink Wrap

Shrink wrap is one of the most useful tools for getting a truck or POD loaded by your movers. Easy Company Moving can supply the shrink wrap at $5 per item wrapped, or you can buy it online or in person at various retailers. Just make sure you get the 18" roll without handles. Most professional movers prefer the style pictured above without handles.

Shrink wrap is cheap insurance to protect against minor scratches, and I highly recommend shrink wrapping anything valuable that you are going to be loading up. It keeps your moving blankets in place and encapsulates your item in a protective layer of plastic. Be sure to recycle the plastic after your move is complete.

One thing to watch out for is shrink wrapping items when you are moving them into a storage, truck, or POD for an extended period of time. If the area that your belongings in is not climate controlled and is also humid, condensation will collect on the shrink wrap. Over time, this will form mildew and mold and can ruin upholstered furniture, as well as making your boxes reek of mildew. Be sure to ask your movers to cut some holes in the shrink wrap so that the furniture can breathe and avoid damage while in storage.

For a link to the exact same type of stretch wrap our professional movers use, go to this Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3Kynycp

Climbing Rope

Climbing rope is a versatile tool for tying down and securing your belongings. However, you'll want to ensure that you use a smaller diameter rope than the one pictured here as the eyelets in a POD are fairly small.

You don't have to buy anything fancy, a quick trip to the local hardware store or your favorite online retailer will turn up affordable options. I recommend 200' total for a 24' to 26' moving truck; 100' if it's a single POD or 16' truck and smaller.

It is critical that you ensure your knots are tight and secure, and that you tie off at several points throughout the loadup. A good mover that knows what they're doing will tie things off creatively and with consideration for your furniture - tying rope over exposed, finished furniture can damage it. Your movers will tie off at several points throughout your load and ensure that load shift is kept to a minimum from the top of the load to the bottom, front to back.

Follow this link to purchase the same climbing rope that I use for truck loadups: https://amzn.to/3qnlw85

For the rope I recommend for POD loadups due to the smaller eyelets to pass the rope through, go to this link: https://amzn.to/3YnADuX

Moving Boxes

Moving boxes aren't just used for packing! Although they are not a replacement for moving blankets, they can be used in conjunction with them to great effect. Moving boxes are a great, inexpensive way to protect items and to provide a buffer between furniture. Moving boxes can be used in a variety of ways while you're loading up. For a 24' - 26' truck, I recommend having at least 10 large boxes on hand. Your loader may or may not use them, but if they need them they'll be glad to have the boxes. Most places will let you return unused boxes, so if they don't come in handy you can get your money back.

Movers will use boxes to help stack furniture and prevent contact between finished surfaces, fill gaps in the load up, protect glass and other fragile items(they're perfect for covering speakers too), and protect the floor if an item has to be stood on end. It might not be the prettiest way to protect your items, but it is very effective. A good mover will cut the boxes to size for certain items, to give the item a shell for protection. Using boxes in conjunction with professional grade moving blankets, shrink wrap, climbing rope, and ratchet straps will ensure that your items are secure and protected for the long trip ahead.

Tape

Another supply needed for moving your items into a POD, truck, or container is tape. It seems completely obvious but is often overlooked. I can't tell you how many times I've used tape to secure pads to items, hardware to beds, and boxes to the items that they are protecting. For a 24' - 26' moving truck I recommend getting at least 4 rolls, for a 16' or smaller POD or truck 1 to 3 rolls should suffice. It depends though - if you're using tape to secure moving blankets to furniture instead of shrink wrap, then you will need more. You'll never hear a mover complain about having too much tape!

For a link to the tape we typically use, go to this link: https://amzn.to/45kR8Kk